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It’s Easter Sunday! Let me quote from John 11:25-26: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.”
So here’s a sampler of songs that celebrate the redemptive power of the One who conquered Death and plugged A. D. to our reckoning of the years before and after.
KANYE WEST – “Jesus Walks”
Off Kanye West’s debut album “The College Dropout,” the fourth single “Jesus Walks” is a pop song whose invocations about Jesus and other ancient religious prophets allude to the fear of God in a plethora of “God-less” hip-hop tropes. “I wanna talk to God but I’m afraid ’cause we ain’t spoke in so long..” is the crucial ‘sorta’ reach for spirituality which, today, would sound ironic even self-obsessed with our rear view coming up with the hustler pose that came after. But freshman Kanye was no gangsta so for a time there, you gotta believe he’s a God-seeking mofo.
JOHNNY CASH – “Personal Jesus”
Depeche Mode’s original would be gospel against country legend Johnny Cash’s mournful, resigned cover sending chills that the ‘Man’ (OR The Grim Reaper) has come around. Reflecting on Cash’s interpretation, Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan reportedly said it was just fantastic, propelling the song to another dimension. Cash himself would remark that it was probably the most evangelical gospel song he has ever recorded. Listen to the track and realize it’s among Cash’s greatest songs in his vast discography.
STONES ROSES – “I am the Resurrection”
This epic closer to the Stone Roses’ debut album comes closest to the massive choruses in mass celebrating the ecstasy of the Messiah rising from the dead. Its grandeur however, according to critical observers, reflects on the swagger of the band’s vocalist, but its difficult to hear so when the crucial lyrics go: “I am the resurrection and I am the life.” Then, from the pop-rock twinkle of the opening chords, the song builds to an orchestral onslaught, sweeping, spiralling heaven-ward like a primordial shoegaze outbreak. It’s resurrection time, every which way.
WARREN ZEVON- “Jesus Was A Cross Maker”
The late great Warren Zevon (“The Werewolves of London”) remakes The Hollies song in poignant acoustic mode while retaining the warm melody of the track from the British Invasion warhorse. Zevon’s raspy voice fits nicely into this couplet: “My Jesus was a cross maker/Sweet silver angels over the sea/Please come down flying low for me” He puts across a fervent hankering for a glimpse of heaven just to be resurrected with the angels.
SOUNDGARDEN – “Jesus Christ Pose”
The proto-grunge intro hints at 90’s hard rock’s next stage of menace, with the tracks overall sonic assault founded on a brutal mix of pummelling bass and intense drumming. Vocalist Chris Connell would later explain that there’s nothing religious about the song and that it talks about celebrities who claim to be victims. But there’s Jesus in the title and Connell wailing “Saved, saved, saved!” in the lyrics. Then the accompanying MTV filled with crucifixes led the music video channel to unplug it from heavy rotation. Nonetheless, it provided a particular pose for Connell in live performances.
PATTI SMITH– Easter
This is a bit of a stretch as an Easterly record. On a personal level though, it introduced me (a kind of personal resurrection, if you will) to a new voice and sound outside of the Led Zep/Boston/Stones axis of the day. It’s the voice of Patti Smith who would be hailed as a punk poetess and the sound of a crack backing group led by Lenny Kaye, rock scribe and garage rock authority. Even on first listen, Easter the album is an exhilarating discovery that opens up new experiences in words and music.– like a sort of liberation from the mundane. Try listening to the album and feel it for yourself. Start with “Because The Night” and the rest will fall into divine place.
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